Youth policy serves as a tool in promoting greater participation of young people on the issues of society and government. The Kabataan Party-list is a youth in the Philippine Congress that continuously gives primacy to the promotion of holistic development and genuine youth empowerment. It supports youth and student led organization working for social and political change. Utilizing interviews and group discussions, this study focuses on how the Kabataan Party-list is giving the youth a chance to be involved in the government processes; and how in turn, the youth actively participate in governance to shape the policies affecting them. With the use of Typology of Youth Policy Regime, this study evaluates the connection among policies, participation, and youth movements.
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The remarkable contributions of the youth in the Philippine nation-building never go unnoticed. Every stage of the Philippine history has produced youth leaders who led the youth in participating in the civic and political arena of the country. In the 1970s to 1980s, the oppressive Marcos regime gave rise for the youth, especially the students, to mobilize. Schools and youth organizations facilitated political discourses and organized massive protests against the dictatorship. Young political activists and leaders ignited the sense of freedom of the youth. In the recent years, the continuing economic stagnation of the Philippines has gravely affected the participation of the youth. A study showed that the youth is not unaware of the social problems and inequalities present in the society. However, they find it difficult to be involved in different political actions. Employed youths and students were hesitant to participate because it might affect their performance in their fields respectively. The Philippine Constitution emphasizes the vital role of the youth in nation-building and it also encourages their active participation. To fully realize this declaration, the Sangguniang Kabataan was established to address the need for youth representation. It helped in local decision-making especially on shaping municipal legislations and provided a training ground for future leaders. It also organized welfare and entertainment programs in barangays such as basketball tournaments, singing and beauty contests, and tree planting activities. However, in 2013, the scheduled election was restrained because of the suspicions that the SK is a "breeding ground for political dynasty and exposing the youth to corruption and the practice of traditional politicians.” To this day, the status of SK remains to be uncertain. The increasing poverty rates resulting to a lack of education and the temporary restrain of SK have become a hindrance for youth participation and representation. This made the youth unable to maximize its potential as a political force in the society and optimize their level of political participation. To provide an attempt to assess the current status of youth engagement in a local level, this paper will delve on the significance of the youth in policy-making process and it will also evaluate the youth political participation in Cebu City. As young citizens of this country, the proponents of this study question the current status of the youth in the political arena of the Philippines. This study is geared towards applying the literature of well-known sociologists in a local level. This will also look at how the youth of Cebu City is able to participate in political matters. In this study, the proponents hope that this will serve as an outlet of information with regards to current status of the political participation of the youth and the various ways as to increase the youth’s political participation, as an aid to further develop the current status of the youth with regards to policy making, and as a reference if given the chance to conduct or modify the same study. Studies regarding the salience of the youth in decision-making like that of Zeldin, etc. (2005) proved the vitality of youth participation on an organizational level. However, there is still no significant research on the political efficacy of youth-based activities in other, bigger scales such as the local and national level of governance. Qualitative researchers have questioned the concepts and methods employed in traditional studies of political participation, arguing that many young people are in fact concerned about matters that are fundamentally political in nature, but that such issues frequently fall outside the boundaries of how politics is conventionally defined. The attempt of this study to assess the current level of youth participation in Cebu City would answer the questions of the proponents whether the word “youth” still implies a strong political force and what are the constraints why the youth has not been able to make the most of its potential. The proponents hope that this would encourage the youth to participate in any civic or political matter.
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